None the Wiser / Between Mouthfuls / Gosforths Fete

To present three one act plays in the same evening requires thought, dedication and concentration as several of the company were appearing in more than one production. Nomads managed to achieve this with a certain amount of flair, completely changing from one play to another without a hitch.

None the Wiser, a cautionary tale about a group of shoplifting nuns well acted with a good sense of timing and a set of totally different characters, from smoking nuns, the strong silent type and a beautifully crafted drunk. Avery odd group who somehow managed to fit together in spite of their obvious lack of cohesion as criminals. All seemed to be going well until a further two nuns appeared on the scene purporting to be the real thing. Here we saw a panicked change from the original five who now had to pretend that they were a very devout group. Chaos reigned until it was discovered that the two newcomers were also not what they seemed to be. New alliances were formed and all went back to being their real characters until the very last line of the play. The cast of Sarah Greenhough, Jean Smith, Helen King, Paula Cooke, Annie Bannister, Anne Whitfield and Hermione Rutherford were good in their roles and kept the action moving throughout.

Between Mouthfuls, an Alan Ayckbourn play revealed the tension of two couples, both having dinner at a hotel restaurant and for the most part being unaware of the other couple. Arguments sped back and forth as we watched each couple firmly ensconced in argument and conflict. As one couple finished a brief conversation on a critical note, the lighting dimmed on their table came up on the other table where the dialogue continued as if nothing had happened. Leading to accusations and admissions of sleeping with others it transpired that the man of the first couple, by sheer fluke the employer of the other man, admitted to having an affair whilst the lady of the second couple said she had been having an affair with the man at the other table.

In the midst of this the waiter was calmly trying to get their order for meals and drinks and was slowly but constantly moving between the two tables like a poor lost soul. This of course added to the comedy and also aided the confusion. Mike Mitchell and Claudia Brettle together with Alex Sims and Paula Cooke played the two warring couples with great animosity Whilst Roger Kay as the bemused waiter only added to the su7ccess of this venture.

Gosforths Fete, another Ayckbourn offering was played almost in a Monty Python scenario where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The fete is ruined by a thunderstorm, the lady from the local council who is opening the proceedings gets soaked, the scoutmaster on learning that his fiancé is now pregnant by Gosforth becomes completely drunk and the whole play closes in total chaos in spite of the attempts of the vicar to pour oil on the troubled waters. Again the cast of Sarah Green hough, Claudia Brettle Alex Sims, Barrie Elener and Tim Pollard worked hard to ensure that the whole disorganised affair was a success.

The whole team at Nomads must be pleased with their efforts in putting together three plays on one night and giving entertainment to an appreciative audience.

The sets for each play were furnished well and this added to the overall picture as did the good lighting which was suitably changed for each play.

Well done to Roger Kay, the director for tackling the plays which each showed a different facet of drama.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.